In a typical domestic environment, pets are washed in bathtubs, shower stalls, or laundry tubs or bins. Bathing the pet can be difficult if the pet is frightened, anxious or otherwise difficult to control. It is therefore desirable to provide some kind of barrier or enclosure to assist in restraining the pet. Such a barrier is also useful for blocking water and soap which is shaken off by the pet during the bathing process. When such an enclosure is utilized, it is also desirable to provide a suitable drain for allowing accumulated water to exit the enclosure. When the drain of a bathtub or sink is used, excess shedding of animal hair during the bathing process tends to clog the drain and generally makes sanitation of the bathtub or sink for human use a difficult task. It is therefore desirable to provide a bathing unit for the pet which is separate from a bathtub or shower stall.
When a separate unit is provided, the pet can be bathed at any desired location near a water source, whether it be inside a home or outdoors. The best location for bathing the pet can change over time, depending on such things as the weather and where the pet owner currently lives. Thus, it is desirable to be able to transport and store the bathing unit with the greatest of ease.
Attempts have been made to provide separate bathing units for pets. Such bathing units typically have walls which form an enclosure for retaining the pet and holding water. In order to accommodate large pets, the walls must be relatively large, thus increasing the bulk of the bathing unit and making it cumbersome to transport and store the unit.
Thus, it remains desirable to provide a pet bathing apparatus which is collapsible into a compact unit in order to facilitate transport and storage of the unit.